FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEBREVARD COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATIONFriday, April 17, 2009

BREVARD COLLEGE TO HOST SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Events to be held at Rosman High School and downtown Brevard

Brevard, N.C. - Brevard College and the BC Cycling team will be hosting the 2009 Southeastern Collegiate Conference Cycling Championships on April 18th and 19th. The two day event will be held at various places around Brevard with Saturday’s events based at Rosman High School and Sunday’s races taking place in the streets of downtown Brevard.

The teams involved in the Southeastern Conference include familiar Brevard opponents such as Lees McRae, Cumberland, Clemson, and Florida, as well as several other schools including Furman, University of Georgia, University of South Florida, and Georgia Southern.

The Championships will consist of a series of three events: the Team Time Trial, the Road Race and the Criterium. Both the Team Time Trial and the Road Race will be held on Saturday, while the Criterium will be on Sunday.

The Team Time Trial is a 15.52 mile loop that starts at Rosman High School and follows Hwy. 64. The track starts with short but steep climb and rolls along the river valley for almost six miles before climbing up and over a ridge. Eventually the road ends up following French Broad River back into Rosman. The first team will take off on the course at 9 a.m. with other teams following in two minute increments. Teams to look out for in the Time Trial include Cumberland, Lees-McRae, Clemson, and Brevard, who all are able to field strong four-man teams, and should be among the top finalists.

In the afternoon Road Race, the teams will again take off from Rosman High School, this time with the racers broken up into brackets from A to C. The course is set on a 15.67 mile loop with the teams following the French Broad River and climbing up Walnut Hollow. After a gradual descent, the course winds around and follows East-Fork Creek which connects to false flat that leads to a short and steep second climb before descending back into Rosman.

Riders in the Men’s A Category will make the loop four times, the Men’s B will make it three times, and the Men’s C will travel the course twice. On the women’s side, the Women’s A Category will make the loop three times, with the Women’s B covering the course once. The Men’s A cyclists take the course first, starting at 1 p.m with the other categories following in five minute increments.

Riders to look out for in the men’s Road Race include Cumberland’s Alejandro Padilla, Furman’s Andy Baker and Spencer Beamer, Lees-McRae’s John Doyle and Brevard’s Marshal Heartly and Tristan Cowie. On the women’s side, look out for Lees-McRae’s Carla Swart and Kristi Henne and Brevard’s Julia Tellman.

Sunday morning brings the third and final event to the Championships in the Criterium. The 0.7 mile course used for the Criterium is located in the residential and business district right off of Main St. in downtown Brevard. The cyclists will start on Caldwell Street, before taking a sharp right onto West Probart Street. The course continues on West Probart before taking another right on Railroad Avenue. A right onto King Street will take the cyclists back to Caldwell where the start/finish line is located halfway up the hill.

The Men’s C Category takes to the course first at 9 a.m. with the other categories following as the cyclists complete the required laps. Cyclists to watch out for in this event include Andy Baker, Alejandro Padilla, Clemson’s Tyler Hawes, and Brevard’s Matt St. Marie and Tristan Cowie.

For more information about the 2009 Southeastern Collegiate Conference Cycling Championships, contact the Brevard Sport Information Department at (828) 884-8288.